


Parties and Overloads

by alexisntedgy



Series: Nuerodivergent Marvel !!! [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Genre: ADD/ADHD Tony Stark, Adorable Bruce Banner, Autism, Autism Spectrum, Autistic Bruce Banner, Brian Banner's A+ Parenting, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Feels, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bruce Banner Needs a Hug, Bruce Banner-centric, Canonical Child Abuse, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 10:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19148881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexisntedgy/pseuds/alexisntedgy
Summary: Bruce really hates parties. So why on earth would his billionaire science bro decide to throw him one with around a hundred guests?Of course, it ends in overload. Warnings in notes.





	Parties and Overloads

**Author's Note:**

> TW for implied/referenced child abuse (Brian Banner is a dick), described child abuse, an alcoholic parent, flashbacks, and autistic sensory overload. 
> 
> If any of these things will trigger you, please don't read this. The part about child abuse is very short, but this fanfiction certainly isn't worth getting triggered for. 
> 
> This is supposed to be platonic, but you could totally read it as science boyfriends. It's low-key a great ship tbh
> 
> Also autistic Bruce Banner babeyyyy!

Picture this: it's your 47th birthday, your billionaire science buddy decided to throw you the "birthday party of the century", and now you're huddling in a corner while over a hundred different people, most of whom you don't even know, celebrate your birthday. 

That's exactly what Bruce Banner is going through right now. 

Tony had promised him a small-scale party, and even that had taken alot of negotiation. Bruce didn't want a party. It wasn't even a big birthday or anything, he was only turning 47. And now, he was covering his ears in a desperate attempt to rid himself of his sensory overload. 

Goddamnit, Tony knew he struggled with people and noises. This was practically hell for Bruce, as he hummed and rocked with his hands over his head. He silently wished somebody would find him and guide him out of the room, away from the people. 

The sound of a particularly enthusiastic party-goer broke through Bruce's hand barrier, and the man whimpered. He had to fight back a part of him that was more decidedly green, but Bruce was fine. Nobody was in danger, not yet. 

How people enjoyed this type of environment, Bruce didn't understand. Parties are not fun-they are loud, and crowded, and they stink of alcohol. And alcohol smells like red wine, and red wine smells like his father. Images of said father flooded his mind. The man he once called "dad", beating him, throwing a bottle of wine at him, he heard it crash against the floor like he was a five year old underneath his kitchen table again. 

That was when somebody touched Bruce's shoulder. Bruce made a small screeching sound, and the hand retracted. He heard footsteps as the person walked away. He silently willed whoever it was to stay, just not to touch him. Bruce settled back into his timeless mind-land, whether he'd been in his head for hours or minutes he didn't know. 

He lifted his hands off of his ears for a millisecond, quickly covering them again as he was hit with a wave of the typical party noises. He thought perhaps he could climatise to the sound and smells of the party, but apparently he was wrong. 

More footsteps approached, and Bruce shrunk once more. He heard someone bend down in front of him. "Hey, big guy. This was probably a mistake, huh?" He heard Tony's voice tell him. 

Bruce nodded softly. Tony sighed. "Alrighty. Let's get you out of here, huh?" Bruce nodded again. "Can I touch you to guide you out?" Bruce's nod was accompanied with a hum. "Okay, here we go-" Tony helped Bruce up, Bruce didn't dare take his hands off his ears. He knew he must look so, so ridiculous right now-a fully grown man, tears on his face, hands on his ears. He wondered how many people had walked past him in his corner. 

Tony guided him into the elevator, and Bruce looked at his shoes as they went up. Tony looked at the ceiling and hummed a song absent-minddedly. Bruce recognised it as one of the songs that was on Tony's "lab jams" playlist. 

The elevator came to a stop, and the two men stepped out. Bruce looked around to find himself in the avenger's communal area. He took his hands off his ears and layed down on the couch shakily. Tony sat across from him in an armchair. "I'm...I'm really sorry, Bruce. I really should've listened to you. But hey, you know me-always the party animal!" He laughed sadly. Bruce shuffled on the couch. 

"Um....Is there...is there anything I can do for you?" Bruce shook his head. The room was sufficiently dark, quiet and calm. He was calming down more by the minute as he rocked gently on the couch. "So uh... What the hell was that? I mean, I've seen people get overwhelmed at parties before, but that...that was something else." 

Bruce shuffled awkwardly. He could be completely honest-say he was autistic, that he got overwhelmed, out himself to Tony. But Tony might be uneducated on this particular topic, or just plain bigoted. He doubted it-Tony didn't exactly radiate nuerotypical vibes himself-but Bruce had experienced so much negativity from people he thought he could trust that he could never be sure. 

But Bruce decided honesty was easier than scrambling for an obviously false excuse, so he admitted it. "I'm autistic. W-what you just saw there was...sensory overload. Everything was too much, and I just...shut down." 

Tony nodded in response. "Ah, well, that makes sense. In all honesty, I'm surprised the big guy didn't make an appearance. That party was fucking loud." Bruce stayed silent. "Or is it like a completely different thing? Like, you're too overwhelmed to go green? I'd imagine it would interact in some way, though. We should do some experiments-" 

"I...Tony. I'm tired. Can we talk more about it later?" Bruce asked. Tony looked over at the other man, who had tear stains on his cheeks, was rocking back and forth, and had huge rings under his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, of course." The billionaire grabbed a blanket from the other couch and put it over Bruce. He then took a probably-extremely-expensive cushion and signalled for Bruce to lift up his head, which he did. 

As soon as Bruce's head hit the cushion, he started falling asleep. "Friday, lights off". He heard Tony say as he left the room. "Goodnight, Dr Banner." Bruce hummed in response, before falling asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, soft science bros 
> 
> I know alot of the timelines probably don't add up, but who cares, canon sucks :)))))
> 
> I might make this into a series about autistic Bruce banner and ADHD Tony??? Would that be cool??? I also have some stories about autistic Peter Parker soooooooo


End file.
